LETTER FROM WARSAW

Election promises are meant to be appealing, and this one especially resonated strongly with many parents and students. The "abolition of school homework" was one of "100 concrete policies" that the Civic Coalition political alliance (center), which emerged victorious from the October 15 parliamentary elections, wanted to quickly put in place. The idea stemmed from an observation made back in 2018 by Civil Rights Ombudsman Adam Bodnar (now minister of justice in the new government), who had seen a cascade of complaints from parents of schoolchildren.

In a document entitled "An enormous amount of homework: The Ministry of Education needs to intervene," the ombudsman called on the authorities at the time to introduce guidelines in this area. "Our children suffer from persistent fatigue and are discouraged from [participating in] school activities. They are unable to rest and don't pursue their interests," he said emphatically. "Parents themselves have to devote their free time to helping children catch up or work on subjects that haven't been explained in class." Bodnar then worked with civil society organizations to implement a series of recommendations, without ever suggesting the abolishment of homework altogether.

On January 19, Prime Minister Donald Tusk himself threw a wrench in the works by posting a 30-second video on X that recalled a speech made by a child at one of his election rallies. In a trembling voice, Tusk declared that "children's rights are systematically being violated: homework on weekends, tests on Mondays." Then the head of government declared, in a relaxed and cheerful manner: "I solemnly announce that this problem is over. From now on, from first through third grades, no homework, except sometimes a little poem to learn. From fourth through eighth grades, homework only for those who want it, optional, and no grading. As for high schoolers: Enjoy your vacations!" Everything is supposed to go into effect in April.

The announcement has caused astonishment over both its form and substance. In the aftermath, Education Minister Barbara Nowacka launched a media crusade against homework, notable for its shocking lack of nuance. "All the research shows that it doesn't matter whether there is little, a lot or no homework. It makes no difference to skills at the end of schooling (...) Children will become smarter if homework is eliminated! (...) The mission of public schools is to equalize opportunities. Eliminating homework is a step in that direction!" These statements have stunned education experts, who have pointed out that most studies have shown the exact opposite to be true.

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